BUFFALO, N.Y. — This week marks the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, the Allied invasion at Normandy, when the greatest armada ever assembled began its assault on the beaches and the French countryside to liberate Europe and when 2,500 brave American servicemen died.
In 2024, the average age of the surviving World War II veteran is 97 according to the US Census Bureau.
Statistics from the National World War II Museum compiled in September of 2023 indicated that approximately 119,500, or less than 1 percent of the 16.4 million Americans who served during the war were still with us.
With a mortality rate of 131 per day, there may be fewer than 85,000 left today.
When it comes to veterans who fought on D-Day, they may number only a few thousand.
The bottom line is that there are very few veterans left who can relate a firsthand account of the D-Day invasion, and there will be none in the not-too-distant future.
30 years ago, however, when the 50th Anniversary of D-Day was being observed, those veterans were mostly in their late 60’s and early 70’s.
There were many more of them to share their recollections and they did in a series of special reports aired by Channel 2 News on June 6, 1994.
In this week’s News 2 You Extra, we present those stories again. Many of the D-Day veterans interviewed are now long gone but may be recognizable to you as having been a neighbor, friend, or loved one.
This series of stories features reporting by Channel 2’s Cheryl Hagen, Carol Kaplan, Barry Lillis, Colleen Brennan, Annette Falwell, and Rich Kellman. Also included is a report featuring relatives of Charles DeGlopper who posthumously received the highest award of the US Military, the Medal of Honor, for his bravery and sacrifice during the Battle of Normandy.
Watch News 2 You every Monday at 11 AM on Channel 2’s Midday.
Check out past episodes on our YouTube Channel.